Assessing the Role of Climate Change and Land Cover Change in Eco-Hydrologic Modeling (Snowmelt Timing and Dissolved Organic Carbon Fluxes

This study explores temporal trends in snowmelt timing, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations, and DOC fluxes in the large forested Penobscot watershed of Maine. The spatially-distributed process-based Regional Hydro-Ecological Simulation System (RHESSys) model was used to simulate streamflows and DOC fluxes and concentrations from 2004-2013 with peak transport generally associated with snowmelt. Results were evaluated with field measurements (streamflow, DOC concentrations and fluxes) and remotely sensed products (Net Primary Production (NPP) and Leaf Area Index (LAI)). The annual and inter annual variability in the amount of fluvial DOC export was further explored under future climate change scenarios and predicted land cover compositions of the watershed.